Mirin
みりん, 味醂
Special Sake for Cooking
Mirin is a kind of Sake dedicated to cooking. It tastes sweeter than Sake, made of fermented, steam-boiled glutinous rice, mixed with rice Koji (a fermentation starter), and alcoholic ingredients such as Shōchū (a distilled liquor). A record says it was consumed as a high-end alcoholic beverage in the Edo Period (1603 - 1867). So, what this Mirin makes a difference when used for cooking? Well, think of the delicate sweetness of Nimono, the appealing flavour and shiny gloss of Kabayaki Tare and Teri Yaki sauce. They are all there, thanks to Mirin! But wait! If you are looking for the real McCoy, be careful since there's another seasoning product looking very much like Mirin. Called “Mirin-flavour seasoning”, its ingredients include starch syrup, rice, Koji, salt and other seasonings. It contains low alcohol and generally low priced than the real one. Then, how to distinguish between them? To correctly pick up the real Mirin, look for the description “本みりん” (Hon Mirin or the real Mirin) as in the photo.
(Photo: Hon Mirin product, which says “本みりん” on the label.)
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